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Water SA
On-line version ISSN 1816-7950
Print version ISSN 0378-4738
Water SA vol.37 n.1 Pretoria Jan. 2011
Biodegradation characterisation and kinetics of m-cresol by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans
Haiyan YaoI; Yuan RenI,II,III,*; Chaohai WeiI,II,III; Siyang YueI
ICollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, China
IIThe Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
IIIThe Key Laboratory of Environmental Protection and Eco-Remediation of Guangdong Regular Higher Education Institutions, China
A novel strain of m-cresol-degrading bacterium, named as Lysinibacillus cresolivorans, was isolated from aerobic sludge from a coking wastewater treatment plant. This bacterium is able to utilise m-cresol as its sole source of carbon and energy. The optimal pH for growth is 6.8 ~ 7.3 and the optimal temperature is 35ºC. Compared to organic nitrogen sources, inorganic nitrogen sources were easily utilised for the m-cresol biodegradation. The degradation rate of m-cresol at different starting concentrations was analysed with zero-order kinetic characteristics. When the initial concentration of m-cresol was 224.2 mg·ℓ-1, the reaction rate reached a maximum at 46.80 mg·(ℓ·h)-1.The cell growth kinetics was also investigated with initial m-cresol concentrations varying from 0 to 1 200 mg·ℓ-1. The growth kinetics was well described by the Haldane kinetic models. The parameter values of m-cresol on cell growth were µmax = 0.89 h-1, Ks = 426.25 mg·ℓ-1, Ki = 51.26 mg·ℓ-1. Experiments supplementing growth with glucose indicated that this substrate increased the biomass, and also induced the biodegradation of m-cresol. From the results, it can be concluded that Lysinibacillus cresolivorans is an efficient m-cresoldegrading bacterium and that glucose plays multiple roles in the co-substrate condition.
Keywords: m-cresol; biodegradation; Lysinibacillus cresolivorans; high efficient degrading bacterium
Phenolic compounds are environmental pollutants because of their wide distribution and detection in the effluent of various industrial operations, which include petrochemicals, textile, dying, varnish industries, phenolic resin manufacturing and steel plants (Jiang et al., 2006; Juang and Tsai, 2006). These compounds have high toxicity to most of the microorganisms, plants, fish and animals, which can cause considerable damage to the environment. The aromatic ring structure in these compounds isrelatively resistant to natural biodegradation (Juang and Tsai, 2006). Series of available processes have been applied to eliminate these recalcitrant chemicals before discharge into water bodies. Studies have demonstrated that biological treatment shows more promise for wastewater treatment of phenolic compounds (Bai et al., 2007) than conventional physicochemical treatment techniques such as adsorption, coagulation, ion exchange, chemical oxidation, photocatalytic oxidation and other advanced oxidation processes.
Previous studies have reported that phenolic compounds can be degraded by microorganisms, most commonly Pseudomonas (Taylor, 1975; Ahamad et al., 2004; Goswami et al., 2005; Yang and Lee, 2007; Saravanan et al., 2008a). Pseudomonas can degrade phenol at less than 1 200 mg·ℓ-1 (Ren et al., 2009). m-Cresol is a representative phenolic compound and is listed as a priority pollutant by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (Bai et al., 2007). There are several reports of m-cresol biodegradation by Alcaligenes faecalis, Pseudomonas sp., and Candida albicans (Bai et al.,2007; Saravanan et al., 2008a; Wang et al., 2009). Ahamad and Kunhi (1999) reported that Pseudomonas sp. CP4 can mineralise all 3 isomers of cresol and the degradation rates of these 3 isomers were in the order: ortho- > para- > metacresol. Lag periods were observed with all 3 isomers, the longest being in the case of m-cresol because of the inactivation of the meta- methyl group. Considerable progress has been made, but most of the bacteria studied can only degrade m-cresol at concentrations of less than 600 mg·ℓ-1. In this paper, a novel bacterium capable of biodegrading m-cresol was isolated from the aerobic sludge from an efficient coking wastewater treatment plant. Morphological and biochemical analyses, including 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, demonstrated that the selected strain belongs to a novel species, Lysinibacillus cresolivorans. In order to fully characterise this new bacterium, its degradation characteristics and kinetics were examined.
Chemicals and culture medium
m-Cresol (99.5% purity) was purchased from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent CO., Ltd, China. Other chemicals used in this study were all of analytical grade.
The mineral salts medium (MSM) used to culture the strain was: K2HPO4 2.24 g·ℓ-1, KH2PO4 2.75 g·ℓ-1, (NH4)SO4 1.00 g·ℓ-1, MgCl2·6H2O 0.2 g·ℓ-1, NaCl 0.1 g·ℓ-1, FeCl3·6H2O 0.02 g·ℓ-1, CaCl2 0.01 g·ℓ-1. m-Cresol was filtered, sterilised and added after autoclaving.
LB culture medium used to culture the strain was: beef extract 3.0 g·ℓ-1, peptone 10.0 g·ℓ-1, NaCl 5.0 g·ℓ-1, pH 7.0-7.2.
Enrichment and isolation of m-cresol-degrading strains
Activated sludge obtained from the aerobic basin of a coking wastewater plant at Shaoguan City was inoculated into 100 mℓ of a fresh sterile MSM containing 50 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol as the sole carbon and energy source. Cultures were incubated at 35ºC at 170 r·min-1 and sampled periodically for m-cresol loss and turbidity due to bacterial growth. When the culture medium became turbid, which indicated growth, 10 mℓ of the suspension was transferred to a fresh sterile MSM containing 100 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol. The procedure was repeated 4 times, to increase the level of m-cresol to 500 mg·ℓ-1. The final enriched culture was spread on MSM agar plates with 200 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol as sole carbon source. After incubation for 24 h, different colonies were selected and isolated by using the streak plating method 3 times on LB plates. Finally, the purified strain was obtained. The strain was inoculated into a LB culture medium, incubated in a rotary shaker for 48 h at 35ºC, 170 r·min-1, and used for further degradation experiments.
DNA extraction and PCR amplification
For 16S rRNA gene sequencing, DNA was extracted and the almost complete 16S rRNA gene was amplified using primers F27 (5'-AGA GTT TGA TCC TGG CTC AG-3') and R1522 (5'-AAG GAG GTG ATC CAG CCG CA-3'). All reactions were carried out in a 50 µℓ volume, containing 36.5 µℓ deionized H2O , 5.0 µℓ 10×PCR buffer, 5.0 µℓ 2.5 mM dNTPs, 1.0 µℓ 10 µM primer F27, 1.0 µℓ 10 µM primer R1522, 1.0 µℓ DNA template, and 0.5 µℓ 5U(µℓ) -1 Blend-Taq. PCR amplification was conducted in an automated thermal cycler (PCR 9600, PE, USA) using the following protocol: initial denaturation for 3 min at 94ºC and 30 cycles of denaturation for 1 min at 94ºC, annealing for 1 min at 52ºC, extension for 1 min at 72ºC, followed by a final extension for 7 min at 72ºC. The 1.5kb PCR fragments were sequenced at the Shanghai Bioasia (Invitrogen) Biotechnology Co. Ltd. and the sequences were logged in Genbank to compare with registered/submitted sequences.
Biodegradation of m-cresol by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans
The strain was inoculated into sterile MSM supplemented with m-cresol as the sole carbon and energy source, and all cultures were incubated in a rotary shaker at 170 r·min-1. This was used for studying the optimisation of growth parameters: temperature, pH, inoculation dosage, nitrogen, and carbon sources. When optimal growth conditions were set, m-cresol concentrations varying from 54.1 to 529.1 mg·ℓ-1 were investigated. Each treatment was conducted in triplicate and the mean values obtained are reported. The degradation efficiency was determined and estimated by the remaining rate of m-cresol degradation from the liquid culture.
Analytical method
Cell density in the culture medium was estimated with a UV-2800 spectrophotometer (Unico, Shanghai, China) by measuring absorbance (OD) at 600 nm. The quantification of m-cresol was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC was performed with C18 column (Agilent HC-C18, 5 µm, 4.6 × 250 mm) with methanol/water (60/40, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.7 mℓ/min, and detection was realised with a UV detector at 270 nm. The retention time for m-cresol was 6.67 min.
Results and discussion
Isolation and identification of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans
After multiple cycles of inoculation and screening, the colony capable of degrading m-cresol was obtained from the enrichment culture. The nearly complete 16S rRNA gene of the purified isolate was PCR-amplified and sequenced. BLAST search of its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicates that the strain shares 94% identity with Lysinibacillus fusiformis and Lysinibacillus macroide, which indicated that it belongs to a novel Lysinibacillus sp. strain. (The PCR, sequencing and physiological/biochemical identification results have been submitted to IJSEM). Its GenBank accession number is EU043375 and the collection number of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans is CCTCC M 208210 T and NRRL B-59352T.
Growth on m-cresol
Lysinibacillus cresolivorans suspension was inoculated into MSM (10%, v/v) containing 52.76 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol at exponential phase (OD = 0.083). The culture was then incubated in a rotary shaker at 35ºC, 170 r·min-1. Cell density and residual concentration of m-cresol were estimated at the same time points. The growth of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans on m-cresol is shown in Fig. 1. We can see that Lysinibacillus cresolivorans utilised m-cresol as its sole source of carbon and energy, and growth of bacteria is closely related to the biodegradation of m-cresol.
Degradation of m-cresol by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans
The hydrogen ion concentration in the culture medium influences bacterial growth since pH limits the activity of enzymes (Wu et al., 2009). The effect of pH on m-cresol biodegradation by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans is shown in Fig. 2. The highest biodegradation rate was achieved when the pH ranged from 6.9 to7.3. This indicates that a neutral environment is suitable for biodegradation of m-cresol. When the pH was less than 5.0 or greater than 9.0, the degradation rate of m-cresol was decreased. A long lag phase was observed when the pH was less than 4.9, with more than 80% residual m-cresol remaining after 6 h biodegradation.
Bai et al. (2007) isolated Alcaligenes faecalis, capable of degrading m-cresol in media in which the pH was higher than 9.0 or lower than 5.0. The highest biodegradation rate was achieved at pH 7.0. The optimal pH value for m-cresol biodegradation by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans was 7.0 in this study.
In order to optimise biodegradation, the temperature for m-cresol biodegradation was set at 25, 30, 35, and 40ºC; the starting concentration of m-cresol was aprox. 50 mg·ℓ-1. As shown in Fig. 3, when the temperature was 35ºC m-cresol was completely degraded after 4 h incubation; however, the residual percentage was around 58%, 10% and 50% at 25, 30 and 40ºC, respectively. Therefore, the optimal temperature, at which the degradative enzyme reached highest activity, was 35ºC.
In order to study the effects of inoculation dosage on m-cresol biodegradation, the inoculation dosage of bacteria was changed from 2% to 20%, with initial optical density of culture at 0.032, 0.056, 0.083, 0.105 and 0.137. As shown in Fig. 4, the biodegradation rate increased as inoculation dosage was increased from 2% to 15%. m-Cresol had been completely degraded after 3.5 h when the inoculation dosage was 10% and 15%. However, at the same time, the removal percentages of m-cresol were 19.5%, 50.3% and 88.2% at 2%, 5%, and 20% dosage, respectively. When inoculation dosage was up to 20% or more, the biodegradation decreased. Surplus microorganisms competed for the reduced amount of nutrition which led to a declining biodegradation rate. Therefore, 10% was found to be the optimal inoculation dosage for m-cresol biodegradation from economical and efficient consideration.
Nitrogen is important for growth and metabolism. NH4Cl, (NH4)2SO4, NH4NO3 and CO(NH2)2 were compared in the biodegradation of m-cresol. Nitrogen content in every culture medium was around 100 mg·ℓ-1. The effect of nitrogen source on m-cresol biodegradation by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans is shown in Fig. 5. Inorganic nitrogen had a greater effect on the biodegradation of m-cresol than organic nitrogen (urea). (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 have the best efficiency, at 6 h, for m-cresol biodegradation.
Biodegradation kinetics of m-cresol by Lysinibacillus cresolivorans
Batch cultures of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans were inoculated in MSM containing m-cresol as the sole carbon and energy source, in order to obtain the biodegradation kinetic model parameters of m-cresol. Substrate concentrations were measured over time for different initial concentrations of m-cresol (54.1 to 529.1 mg·ℓ-1) at optimal biodegradation conditions. Figure 6 shows that m-cresol at concentrations of 54.1, 122.8, 180.1, 224.2, 316.6, 380.8 and 529.1 mg·ℓ-1 was completely biodegraded by the culture in 6, 9, 10, 12, 19, 31 and 44 h, respectively. The lag period in each case was, respectively, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 21and 30 h. The results clearly showed good ability in biodegrading m-cresol, even at high concentrations, when employing Lysinibacillus cresolivorans.
The average biodegradation rate and kinetic model equation of different m-cresol concentrations is represented in Table 1. The biodegradation of m-cresol was consistent with the zero-order kinetics equation when the lag period was excluded. The average biodegradation rate increased with an increase in initial m-cresol concentration, but the average biodegradation rate reached its maximum of 18.682 mg·(ℓ·h)-1 when m-cresol was 224.2 mg·ℓ-1. As the concentration continued to increase, the average biodegradation rate decreased from 18.68 mg·(ℓ·h)-1 to 12.02 mg·(ℓ·h)-1.
The biodegradation kinetics of m-cresol has been reported in prior studies. Saravanan et al. (2008b) investigated biodegradation kinetics of m-cresol by an indigenous mixed microbial culture isolated from a sewage treatment plant.
The substrate m-cresol was completely utilised within 21 h when present at concentrations of 100-600 mg·ℓ-1; a maximum time of 187 h was observed for its removal. Therefore, compared with other bacteria reported to biodegrade m-cresol, Lysinibacillus cresolivorans displays superior performance.
Growth kinetics of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans
Biodegradation experiments of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans were conducted with m-cresol concentrations ranging from 0 to 1 200 mg·ℓ-1. The experimental data were utilised for calculating the specific growth rate and culture biomass yield according to the following equations:
µx is the specific growth rate (h-1)
γx the cell growth rate
Cx the cell concentration (mg·ℓ-1).
Because of the substrate inhibition on the cell growth, Haldane's equation was selected due to its wide applicability for assessing the growth kinetics of inhibitory substrate (Haldane, 1965):
S is the substrate concentration (mg·ℓ-1),
µmax is the maximum growth rate (h-1),
Ks is the substrate saturation coefficient and
Ki is the substrate inhibition coefficient.
The values of the parameters: µmax= 0.89 h-1, Ks = 426.25 mg·ℓ-1, Ki = 51.26 mg·ℓ-1, were derived using a nonlinear leastsquares regression analysis of ORIGIN 7.5 based on the experimental data obtained in the tests. The value of the squared 2-norm of the residual at these parameters was very small (3.0 × 10-4), which indicated that the regression curve agreed with the data very well.
It could be seen in Fig. 7 that the maximum specific growth rate occurred at very low m-cresol concentrations. When the initial concentration of m-cresol was 151.5 mg·ℓ-1, the maximum specific growth rates were 0.1316 h-1. With the increase of initial substrate concentration, the specific growth rate decreased, which may be a result of an intense substrate inhibition. A higher substrate concentration demonstrated a stronger substrate inhibitory response.
The effect of glucose on m-cresol biodegradation
When the initial concentrations of m-cresol were, respectively, 380.8 and 529.1 mg·ℓ-1, it took 31 h and 43 h for complete biodegradation; the average biodegradation rate decreased to 12.283 and 12.024 mg·(ℓ·h)-1. Thus, heavy concentrations of substrate inhibited the biodegradation of m-cresol; the higher the m-cresol concentration, the stronger the substrate inhibition. In order to mitigate the inhibition, different concentrations of glucose were added to the culture containing 529.1 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol. The glucose concentration changed from 0 to 800 mg·ℓ-1. As shown in Fig. 8, glucose promoted the biodegradation of m-cresol. Biodegradation time became shorter when glucose varied from 0 to 600 mg·ℓ-1, but when glucose concentration was further increased, biodegradation time increased. Therefore, the higher dosage of glucose was not better for the degradation of m-cresol. It took 22 h to completely biodegrade m-cresol at a glucose concentration of 600 mg·ℓ-1, while the removal percentage was only 17.61% without glucose at the same incubation duration.
Glucose is an easily degradable organic substance that is apt to be utilised by microbes. The mechanism by which glucose enhances the biodegradation of m-cresol may rely on increase in biomass only or on inducing the biodegradation of m-cresol, or both.. In this study, the OD of cultures when 600 mg·ℓ-1 glucose is provided as sole carbon source is 0.626. The biodegradation efficiencies of adding 600 mg·ℓ-1 glucose and adding 0.626 OD biomass were compared. If the 2 rates are the same, it can be concluded that glucose merely acts as an extra carbon source; if the former rate is higher, it can be concluded that glucose has an induction effect on m-cresol biodegradation.
We designed 4 experiments to study the effect of 600 mg·ℓ-1 glucose on the degradation of m-cresol according to the above hypothesis:
Culture 1: 5 mℓ of inocula + 529 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol
Culture 2: 5 mℓ of inocula + 529 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol + 600 mg·ℓ-1 glucose (at the same time)
Culture 3: 5 mℓ of inocula + 600 mg·ℓ-1 glucose (at first); when OD600 reached 0.626, 529 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol was also added
Culture 4: 5 mℓ inocula + 529 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol + additional biomass (OD=0.626)
All of the cultures were in 50 mℓ MSM media. Residual concentration of m-cresol was estimated at certain times. It could be concluded that the glucose and m-cresol were degrading simultaneously in Culture 2, as there were some intermediate products of glucose degradation. Culture 3 had little intermediate products of glucose degradation. The experiments were designed to confirm the presence of an induction effect. Culture 4 was used to estimate the effect of more dosage. All of the cultures can be compared with Culture 1 to illustrate the effect of glucose on degradation of m-cresol.
The results of 4 control experiments are shown in Fig. 9. Adding glucose and increasing the dosage can increase the degradation of m-cresol. As explained above, if glucose only has the effect of proliferation, Cultures 2 and 4 should have the same degrading efficiency. However, it was found that Culture 2 took less time than Culture 4, which indicates that glucose does not only play a role by increasing the biomass. In Culture 3, glucose was not completely utilised by microorganisms until the exponential phase. When m-cresol was added, there was little glucose to induce the biodegradation of m-cresol. Because the carbon source (glucose) had been exhausted, the activity of the microorganisms had decreased. Thus the efficiency of degradation was weaker for Culture 3 than Culture 4.
Based on the above results, it can be concluded that glucose not only increased the amount of bacteria, but also induced the biodegradation of m-cresol and shortened the lag phase. A simple increase of biomass cannot attain the equivalent degradation effect obtained when glucose was added to the culture. In the presence of an external carbon source, Lysinibacillus cresolivorans was still able to utilise m-cresol. It is thus favourable for biodegrading phenolic sewage containing other carbon pollutants.
Lysinibacillus cresolivorans, capable of using m-cresol as the sole source of carbon and energy, was isolated from the activated sludge in a coking wastewater treatment plant. It was identified by morphological and biochemical analyses, as well as 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, which demonstrated that the selected strain belongs to a novel species, Lysinibacillus cresolivorans. The optimal pH and temperature of m-cresol biodegradation by Bacillus cresolum was around 7.0 and 35ºC, respectively, and the most suitable inoculation dosage was 10%. The presence of a nitrogen source improved the biodegradation rate, NH4Cl, (NH4)2SO4 and NH4NO3 were better than CO(NH2)2 for the biodegradation of m-cresol. Under optimal growth conditions, the biodegradation of m-cresol changed from 54.1 to 529.1 mg·ℓ-1, and followed a zero-order kinetics equation. The maximum average biodegradation rate was 18.682 mg·(ℓ·h)-1 when the initial m-cresol concentration was 224.2 mg·ℓ-1. The experimental data of growth kinetics of Lysinibacillus cresolivorans fitted the Haldane kinetics models well. The parameter values of m-cresol on cell growth were µ max = 0.89 h-1, Ks = 426.25 mg·ℓ-1, Ki = 51.26 mg·ℓ-1. Glucose accelerated the biodegradation rate, especially in the cultures containing a high concentration of m-cresol. When glucose concentration was 600 and 800 mg·ℓ-1, respectively, complete biodegradation of 529.1 mg·ℓ-1 m-cresol only took 22 and 24 h, compared to 43 h without glucose; biodegradation time was thus halved. Four control experiments showed that glucose had an induction effect on the biodegradation of m-cresol. Lysinibacillus cresolivorans may prove to be an ideal microorganism for eliminating phenolic compounds.
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20977035), Research Fund of The Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration and The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China. The authors thank Dr Jessica McCormick for her help with linguistic revision.
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Received 22 April 2010; accepted in revised form 8 November 2010.
* To whom all correspondence should be addressed. +86-20-39380588; fax: +86-20-39380588; e-mail: email@example.com


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|Pirates Attack Vessel Off Nigeria, Kidnap Four Sailors
|[An Nahar] "Pirates armed with guns attacked, boarded an offshore supply vessel ... and kidnapped four crew members," the IMB's Piracy Reporting Center said of the Sunday attack.
There were "no injuries to crew members and (the) vessel continued passage to a safe port," it said.
The attack occurred some 40 nautical miles off of Nigeria's Bayelsa state, the IMB said. It provided no further details on the nationality of the crew or the ship.
Such kidnappings occur regularly off Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region, with hostages typically released after payment of a ransom.
A 2009 amnesty deal led to a sharp drop in unrest in the region, but criminality remains widespread.
On December 17, four workers from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries and a Nigerian were kidnapped by gunnies while working at a construction site in Bayelsa. The five were freed unharmed on Friday night.
On the same day, well armed pirates stormed and ransacked an oil tanker off the Niger Delta and kidnapped five Indian crew members.
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Sandra Fluke, waves at a campaign event at the University of Colorado Auraria Events Center on Wednesday. Fluke is a Georgetown law student who inadvertently gained notoriety when talk show host Rush Limbaugh spoke disparagingly of her testimony before Congress on the issue of contraception and insurance coverage.
DENVER, Colo. – Seeking to rally female voters who helped push him to victory in 2008, President Barack Obama warned a crowd of mostly women in Colorado that Mitt Romney would slash the benefits they received last week under the new health care law.
Standing in front of a big sign that read, "WOMEN'S HEALTH SECURITY" to emphasize the day's message, the president touted recently-implemented measures in the health care law requiring all insurance companies to provide free preventive care for women. The Obama administration reports that 47 million women will receive free contraception, well-woman visits, breastfeeding supplies and family planning counseling.
Obama said Romney would slash those benefits on the first day of his presidency.
On the campaign trail Wednesday, President Obama homed in on a group that has supported him overwhelmingly in the past: single women. This year, however, the economy has hit single women even harder than those who are married so the Obama campaign is flooding them with messages. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
"He said he would take the affordable care act and kill it dead -- on the first day of his presidency. Kill it dead," he said as the crowd of 4,000 at the Auraria Event Center booed.
Reviving a debate over contraceptive coverage from earlier this year in which both parties accused the other of waging a "war on women," the president said that Romney would let employers decide whether or not to offer women's health services like contraceptives.
"I don't think your boss should get to control the health care you get. I don't think insurance companies should control the care that you get. I don't think politicians should control the care that you get. I think there's one person to make these decisions on health care and that is you," he said.
Obama enlisted a familiar face from the contraception debate to introduce him in Denver: Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student and activist who testified on Capitol Hill about her school not covering birth control and became the face of the Democratic side of the issue after she was called a "slut" and "prostitute" by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Fluke praised the president for "defending my right to speak without being attacked. Mr. Romney could only say those weren't the words he would have chosen. Well, Mr. Romney, you're not going to be the candidate we choose," she said.
Obama's two-day swing through Colorado, which he won by nine points in 2008, comes as a new Quinnipiac/New York Times/CBS poll shows him trailing Romney in Colorado by five points, 50-45.
While Obama campaign officials stress that they always believed Colorado would be a competitive state, the president underscored how important he believes the Centennial State is to his re-election when he responded to the crowd's chant of "four more years!"
"If we win Colorado, I'll get four more years!" he said.
Obama continues his four-city Colorado trip later tonight in Grand Junction.
Earlier Wednesday, before the president's speech, the Romney campaign sent out figures showing high unemployment rates among women during Obama's tenure, as well as a statement from campaign spokesperson Amanda Henneberg.
"No false, recycled attacks can distract from the fact that President Obama's four years in office haven't been kind to women," Henneberg said in the statement. "Hundreds of thousands of women have lost their jobs, poverty among women is highest in nearly two decades, and half of recent graduates can't find a good job. Middle-class families have struggled in the Obama economy, and Mitt Romney has a plan to strengthen the middle class and get our country back on the right track."


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At Speedcraft Volkswagen our number one priority is to provide you with the best possible service. We work endlessly to make sure that your experience here with us is the best you have ever had while searching for a new vehicle. We want you to be at ease while you shop so you can take your time to find the perfect Volkswagen for your needs. We also want to keep you informed on everything we have to offer at Speedcraft Volkswagen.
While great effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, errors do occur so please verify information with a customer service rep. This is easily done by calling us at (401) 792-3300 or by visiting us at the dealership.
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text: Arja Kajermo was born in Finland, raised in Sweden and now lives and works in Ireland. She began her cartooning career with the magazine In Dublin in the 1970s, for which she made a comic strip for ten years. She contributed cartoons to the feminist publisher Attic Press and occasionally to The Sunday Press, The Irish Times, Image magazine, Magill and others. Her strip 'Dublin Four' ran in the Sunday Tribune. She now draws the strip 'Tuula' in the Sunday edition of Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. Kajermo has also illustrated children's books.


text:
Russell Library offers free access to thousands of books, articles, databases, and other scholarly resources.
Whether you're a first-year student, a graduate student, faculty or staff, or even a member of the community, Ina Dillard Russell Library is an important place for you at Georgia College. Our campus and world thrive on information, and at Russell Library we provide the tools needed to help receive, process, and share that information. We are proud to be the heart of our campus, serving the campus community of Georgia's designated public liberal arts university.
Russell Library offers free access to thousands of books, articles, databases, and other scholarly resources.
Drop by the Research Center or Special Collections, located on the 2nd floor, where experts are available to assist with research needs. You can also reach them by chat, text, email, or phone.
Russell Library maintains a wide array of technology and resources available for individual checkout and collaborative use.
Ina Dillard Russell Library
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Phone: 478-445-4047
Text: 478-845-3057
Fax: 478-445-6847
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text:
Sarah Silverman popped up during the Emmys last night with Nathan Fillion, joining in on Neil Patrick Harris' mid-show dance number in attempt to liven up the award proceedings. But today she shows up in a completely different context to show off her dance moves. Psychic Friend's new video for "We Do Not Belong"—which shares an underpinning bass line with The Decemberists' "Yankee Bayonet"—casts Silverman as a woman kept captive in a basement by her parents for decades who ultimately ends up up institutionalized and unable to communicate. Still, one intrepid therapist, played by Imperial Teen's Will Schwartz, makes it his personal mission to bring out some form of expression from a seemingly braindead woman. After noticing her attention distracted by modern dance on television, prolonged exposure to modern choreography leads to Silverman letting loose in the halls of her hospital. It's the kind of odd and unsettling comedy Silverman does best.
More from The A.V. Club


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Monday 03 February 2020
Stella Turk Entrance, Penryn Campus
noon - 12:30pm
The SU are introducing animal therapy! Every Monday there will be two sessions that you can book into to spend some time with a lovely dog called Ernie! Ernie is a very good boy who has passed all his animal therapy tests and wants to spend some time with you. Book a slot and take Ernie for a walk around campus or sit in with his for some cuddles.
Please book a free ticket to attend.


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Those who tend toward the conservative side of the political spectrum are often forced to defend themselves against charges that they are "against" health care because they don't approve of government's involvement. Ditto with education; they don't like a centralized bureaucracy in Washington that they say takes attention and resources away from the classroom. There's something to be said for their defense, and recent responses to the fiduciary question indicate that on this issue, at least, independent broker-dealers lean decidedly right.
It's not that they're against a fiduciary standard (what responsible advisor in their right mind would?), it's that the Department of Labor's definition and requirements will add an unsustainable cost burden to what the vast majority of advisors already do.
"We asked the reps that attended our national conference if they already consider themselves to act according to a fiduciary standard," Cambridge Investment Research CEO Eric Schwartz said at the 2013 Broker-Dealers of the Year roundtable discussion in Chicago. "Of the 900 people in the room, 100% of the hands went up."
An illustration of the effect a fiduciary standard will have on small IRA accountholders unexpectedly presented itself that day. As he was setting up his equipment, our videographer casually remarked that he and his wife recently opened an IRA, seeded with $5,000. He didn't know if it was a Roth or traditional, and they invested in the same stock his wife's father has held for years.
While Investors Capital Corp.'s Tim Murphy emphasized it was important that they opened the account, he nonetheless noted, "It's exactly this type of investor, the one who needs the most help, who will be harmed by the DOL's rule."
It's nothing new, and the Financial Services Institute, whose finance committee Murphy currently chairs, has been making the same argument for years. Forget Borzi, forget investment head honchos; get our videographer in front of Congress to illustrate the actual effects of the regulators' supposed good intentions. It should be obvious, but as is frequently the case with government involvement, obvious is anything but.


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The optimised combustion chamber geometry. The fast and precise EMS-controlled injection. The high gas-fill ratio. We could go on listing what makes our engines so fuel-efficient. What's more important is the difference they make to you bottom line. And to the environment.
Volvo Engine Brake: VEB and VEB+
Up to 510 hp of braking effect
Our patented engine brake, VEB+, uses a unique camshaft design to absorb up to 375 kW (510 hp) on the D13 engine. On the D11, the Volvo Engine Break (VEB) absorbs up to 290 kW. Coupled with our I-Shift transmission system and clever cruise control, you can maintain a high average speed, without compromising safety or fuel economy.


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How to: Create This Look - Striped Hallway with Sunburst Mirror
Getting a high end look on a budget is totally possible. All you need is a little elbow grease. Let's break down this gorgeous foyer by Muse Interiors to see how you can recreate it.
The main elements that make the space are: painted stripes on the wall, the sunburst mirror, the stripped wood furniture, the architectural details and the pops of color.
First up the walls. All it takes is some painters tape and some patience. The faint color difference between the white and the pale taupe adds sophistication and the vertical stripes make the room appear taller. Kate of Centsational Girl has several links to great tutorials.
Next up? The mirror. You can actually DIY your own version with paint sticks! Kristen made one and I love how she turned the sticks on their edge. It really gives it more dimension and texture.
Now that that's done, it's time to strip some furniture! The inspiration room pairs a traditional console with an oriental upholstered stool. I say, raid Craigslist for a console in either style and choose a bench in the opposite style. I found this console table in San Francisco's Craigslist for $90 that would be perfect.
I stripped a bed down to its natural, raw surface and there's no easy way to do it. In fact, it's a totally painful process---not gonna lie. But the result is amazing! Make sure to seal it with paste wax or liming wax, if you prefer more of a pickled effect.
Architectural details like molding make the space feel more detailed and expensive, so add some to the lower half of the walls. Randy explains how he did it in his own dining room.
Don't forget the awesome stool. The x-bench I found is from Wisteria. Despite the fact that you'll never sit in it, it adds a pleasing visual layer.
Finally grab some accessories in blue and orange. I found the blue foo dogs on ebay, the blue vases at Zgallerie and the horn box at Williams-Sonoma. (Look for faux horn, it's kinder to the animals.) Add some inexpensive orange alstroemeria from the grocery store and you have a hallway ready to welcome anyone!


text: The Tevatron was the world's most powerful particle accelerator and the site of many of the biggest discoveries in the field for more than two decades. It symbolized the United States' scientific dominance and was the center of the international physics world until it was eclipsed by Europe's Large Hadron Collider last year. Today, protons and antiprotons will stop speeding around the 4-mile-long circular accelerator track at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, and data from the Tevatron's final particle collisions will be recorded. The end will be marked by a ceremony to turn the machine off and celebrate the dozens of discoveries it made, broadcast live online at 2 p.m. central time. "For the last 28 years, the Tevatron has been the real workhorse of particle physics," said physicist Paul Halpern of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and author of the book Collider. Without it, physicists would have a large gap in their knowledge of the universe, he added. Over the course of its life, the Tevatron has made a number of remarkable findings related to the Standard Model of physics, which describes the characteristics and behavior of subatomic particles. The facility's two detectors, the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) and DZero experiments, have both competed and worked together to reveal the nature of matter. Even after Europe's Large Hadron Collider began producing higher-energy beams, and budget constraints forced the lab to schedule its shutdown, the Tevatron continued to perform and put in an impressive ninth-inning effort in pursuit of the still-elusive Higgs boson, the last undiscovered particle predicted by the Standard Model. And there is still a chance it could succeed, as scientists continue to analyze the Tevatron's data, even after the machine goes dark. Here are some of the Tevatron's greatest achievements. Above: Ring of Energy The Tevatron accelerates charged particles to extremely high speeds using a four-mile long ring of magnets. The instrument then slams the particles together in order to split them up into their constituents. The Tevatron typically shoots a beam of protons and antiprotons in opposite directions around the ring until they reach a desired energy range and then allows the two beams to meet. The ensuing collision produces a rain of particles that researchers then dig through to search for those predicted by the Standard Model. The accelerator produces an extremely bright beam of these particles and is able to reach energies up to 1 TeV, or roughly a trillion times the energy of ordinary visible light. The facility was the world-record holder in high-energy physics until it was surpassed by the LHC, which will ultimately be able to reach energies seven times those of the Tevatron's peak. Image: FermilabTop Quark Arguably the Tevatron's most important discovery was that of the top quark in 1995. Quarks — the fundamental building blocks of protons and neutrons — are one of the hallmarks of the Standard Model of modern physics. These particles come in six "flavors": up, down, strange, charmed, top and bottom. The top quark, being the most massive of the quarks, was the last to be discovered. When spotted by CDF and DZero, the top quark's observed mass was extremely close to what had been predicted under the Standard Model, providing a nice verification of the theory. Image: Reidar Hahn/FermilabThe Last Meson Particles such as protons and neutrons are called baryons and are combinations of three quarks. But two quarks can also combine into particles known as mesons, which are made of a quark and an anti-quark. There are 15 allowable combinations that produce mesons and, until 1998, all had been spotted in nature or other experiments. It took the power of the Tevatron to uncover the BC (B sub see) meson, which was the heaviest. Image: CDF detector; Reidar Hahn/FermilabViolation Observation Most subatomic particles last only a few slivers of a second after a collision and then decay into other particles. These decays obey certain symmetries, such as the fact that they occur the same way regardless of the charge or direction of the interacting particles. But after observing neutral kaons, researchers found the particles exhibiting a slight difference when the decay occurred in one direction versus the mirror-flipped direction. This result provided some justification for an otherwise odd paradox in the universe: why it is filled with matter instead of anti-matter. Since both matter and anti-matter are thought to be equivalent in every way but charge, physicists had long thought they should be produced in roughly equal proportions after the Big Bang. But when a particle meets its anti-particle, both are instantly destroyed. So how could it be that the universe is filled with matter while anti-matter remains very rare? The observed symmetry violation, known as charge-parity or CP violation, was slight yet large enough to help account for the dominance of matter — which makes up everything in the known universe — over anti-matter. *Image: *Reidar Hahn/FermilabTau Neutrino According to the Standard Model, neutrinos come in three types: electron, muon, and tau. Using the Tevatron, researchers with the Direct Observation of the Nu Tau (DONUT) experiment spotted the heaviest of these three, the tau neutrino, in 2000. While indirect evidence had previously been established for its existence, this was the first direct confirmation of the particle. Neutrinos are ghostly particles so small they pass through ordinary matter as easily as a bullet through a fog bank. It took researchers three years of observation and sifting through six million potential interactions to tease out the tau neutrino. Image: FermilabCascading Bosons In 2007, scientists produced the equivalent of a subatomic particle Frankenstein. As it turns out, the six quark flavors are separated into three pairs called "generations" that correspond to their energy levels. Only particles containing specific combinations of these generations had been seen in other experiments. Then the Tevatron produced a particle known as a cascading B baryon that was composed of a bottom quark, a down quark, and strange quark — a member from each of the three quark generations. The finding was the first time this combination of generations had been observed. "The discovery opened up the scope of the particle zoo and showed us that what's out there is more exotic than once believed," said physicist Paul Halpern. Image: FermilabWeak Force Over its lifetime, the Tevatron managed to pin down several particle masses. In 2009, the DZero experiment announced the most precise measurement of the W boson, one of the carriers of the weak force. The weak force is responsible for many subatomic and radioactive processes and is mediated by the W and Z bosons, much the same way that the electromagnetic force is mediated by photons. Having better values for their mass has helped physicists make estimates of the most likely mass of the Higgs boson, the final piece in the Standard Model puzzle. Image: FermilabFinal Years Even into its last few years, the Tevatron has still managed to find new particles. This year, it spotted the Xi Sub B baryon, a particle that had been predicted to exist but had never been previously observed. Though the Tevatron has now ceded the title of the world's most powerful particle accelerator to LHC, there is still a chance for the instrument to find the most sought-after particle in modern physics: the Higgs boson. The Higgs boson is thought to be the reason why particles have the masses they do. It is estimated that there are nearly 20 petabytes — 20 million gigabytes — of data remaining to be explored in the Tevatron's archive. Some of this data may contain the elusive Higgs. "The standard model has been one of the most important theoretical constructs in 20th-century physics," said Paul Halpern. While it sometimes feels like nearly everything discoverable has been found, he adds that "there's still a frontier there." Image: Paul HalpernSee Also: - Physicists Confirm Existence of New ParticleNew Tevatron Particle May Be a MirageLarge Hadron Collider Starts Edging Out RivalsLast Days of Big American Physics: One More Triumph, or Just Another Heartbreak?New Particle Discoveries Keep Focus on Fermilab


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Serious Entertaining: A Dorm Room Dinner
Seasonal menu planning for the perfect dinner party.
Here's the situation: It's 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon, the week after school's back in session. You're in your dorm room catching up on a game of Borderlands 2 when suddenly an email drops into your inbox. "Hey champ, it's me, [insert name attractive member of whatever sex is attractive to you here]!" Your eyes light up as you continue reading with interest. "I've noticed you staring at the back of my head in class, so rather than make the awkward introductions and all that, I'm just going to come right out and let you make me dinner. The quality of our meal will determine the entire future of our potential relationship. Over and out, Captain."
Damn, you think. I shouldn't have spent my last $200 on those Beats by Dre headphones last week. Now I can't even afford a $1 Big Mac to woo with. My life is over.
Over? Did you say over? In the words of the esteemed scholar Bluto Blutarsky, Nothing's over until we decide it is!
Just because you've signed your life over to a university along with the sleepless nights, raging hangovers, loud music, and barely-edible industrial slop it comes with, that doesn't mean you have to live a life of austerity devoid of oral pleasures. You may only have a hot plate and a microwave to work with, but when there are [insert member of the attractive sex here]s coming over, it's still possible to wow them with your culinary prowess.
You've just got to learn to make the most of what you've got available to you.
So crack some High Lifes, punt some problem sets, line up some shots, and get ready to give gourmet cooking the good ol' college try.
Hors D'oeuvres: Amped Up Popcorn
First up: You need a few snacks to whet the appetite. Everyone knows that the microwave was invented for one purposes and one purposes only: making popcorn. There's nothing elegant about the faux-butter aroma of the pre-seasoned stuff, but I'll let you in on a little secret: you can buy plain popcorn and pop it in a paper bag in the microwave. True story.
After that, it's just a matter of mixing up your own seasoning blend to suit your mood. Feeling cool? Go with some cool buttermilk ranch with black pepper. Or how about hot, with buffalo wing sauce and butter? Adventurous spirits are sure to be taken by lemongrass and chili, and you know what they say about adventurous people.
» Here are 10 ideas for seasoning your popcorn!
First Course: Grilled Cheese
So you don't have a burner, or heck, even a skillet. No worries—you can make grilled cheeses (or any grilled sandwich, really) with nothing but a pack of aluminum foil and an iron. Just assemble your sandwiches, butter the outsides, wrap them in foil, put them on a flame-proof surface (like your favorite textbook or roommates sheets), and iron them until nice and toasty on both sides. About 10 minutes later, you have a perfect snack for late night refueling.
Want to amp things up a bit? A Cuban grilled cheese with pickles, Swiss, and ham can be made from ingredients found at any corner bodega. College is all about learning to multitask; to get your meal and your snack all at the same time by, just shove some potato chips right in there.
Or if you've got a date coming over, hit 'em with this antipasti grilled cheese. Nothing gets those amorous juices flowing like basil, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted peppers. Seal the deal with a brie and nutella melt for dessert.
» Check out 21+ ways to upgrade your grilled cheese!
Main Course: Ramen-Based Pasta
No burners or hot plates in your dorm but you still want fresh-cooked pasta for dinner? No problem, just break out every college kid's go-to food: instant ramen. All you need is boiling water from your kettle. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, leaving out the seasoning packet. Meanwhile, microwave some pasta sauce or chili, along with a tub of cheese sauce or salsa con queso. Stir 'em all together, and you got yourself a poor man's spaghetti bolognese.
Faux Italian not your thing? Ramen is equally versatile as a Cold Peanut And Coconut Ramen Salad, or as Aloha Ramen, served up with Spam, pineapple, and an egg. A can of creamed corn and a packet of ramen will become an elegant ramen corn chowder, fancy enough for entertaining.
» Check out 30+ ways to upgrade your ramen!
Dessert: Chocolate Cake in a Mug
Thought your desserts were limited to Butterfingers and Smirnoff Ice? Think again. With this recipe, all you need is a mug and a microwave (no bowls!), and you'll have fresh, hot chocolate cake-in-a-cup in 12 minutes or less.
Cooking for a crowd? Try out these microwave chocolate peanut butter crunch bars, another no-bake-required treat. If this doesn't win 'em over, nothing will!
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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If I had a dollar for every time I said that, I'd be making money in a very weird way. - Mitch Hedberg
Runners run
I fly.
Bring it on.
Is the spreadsheet gone? I can't access it.
It is working for me!
I've got a fever...
I just checked it out. Everything seems to be cool and the gang.
On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.
Hmmm. I guess it's just me.
Nope, me too-I get nothin'.
Jerry A runners blog-updated daily
Speed my steps along your path, according to your will.
"During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."
I'm bumping this because I went looking for it. I think it used to be pinned to the top in this forum. I am a numbers geek, and have always appreciated this!
Good luck to all in their 2013 running!
MTA: Thanks for making it a sticky again!


text:
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HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Dallas County prosecutors say they aren't appealing a state judge's decision to halt the scheduled Tuesday evening execution of a Texas woman.
She would have been the first woman put to death in the U.S. since 2010.
State District Judge Larry Mitchell issued a reprieve for 51-year-old Kimberly McCarthy less than five hours before she could have been taken to the death chamber for the 1997 slaying of a neighbor.
Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Shelly Yeatts says McCarthy's execution date now is April 3.
McCarthy's lawyers contend the jury that convicted her of murder was improperly selected on the basis of race. McCarthy is black. Her jury was made up of 11 whites and one black person.


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Dima Bilan – Musician
Dima Bilan (real name: Viktor Belan), born December 24, 1981, in Karachay-Cherkessia, is a Karachay-Russian pop singer. Dima represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with Never Let You Go, finishing 2nd.
When Bilan was one, his family moved to his grandmother's place in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny in Tatarstan. When he was six years old, his family moved to Kabardino-Balkaria where he went to school with his sister. He took part in morning performances, recited poems and sang songs.
Bilan graduated from Gnesins Musical College as a classical vocal performer. Dima made his debut when he reached 4th place at the Russian/Latvian festival "New Wave" in 2002. In 2003, Dima Bilan released his debut album titled "Nochnoy Huligan," ("Night Hooligan") which included covers of "Caruso" by Lucio Dalla and "Fever" by Elvis. In 2004, he released his successful single "Na beregu neba," which was also the title of his second album.
Produced by the late Yury Aizenshpis, a Russian music mogul famous for his work with Viktor Tsoi in the Soviet Union, Dima Bilan attempted to reach Eurovision previously with the song Not That Simple in 2005, finishing in 2nd place at the Russian national selection. The video for the Russian version of the song was reputably the most expensive in the history of Russia's music industry. In December 2005, Dima received two golden gramophones for the song "Ty dolzjna ryadom byt'" (this is a russian version of "Not That Simple") in Saint Petersburg and Alma Ata. During shootings of "Noviye pyesny o glavnom"(New songs about what is most important) he received the grand prize of the First channel from the professional jury. Dima became Man of the Year in the sphere of show- business because the most voters gave their voices for him according to the version of Rambler.
At the end of a year he accepted an invitation for the composition "Ya pomnyu tebya" (I remember you) was shot in the Botanical garden. The clip had a fantastical and magical element which corresponded with the atmosphere of New Year's Eve. In March 2006 Dima Bilan took part in "Zolotaya sharmanka"(Golden street organ) of "International Music Awards" in Kiev where he was honored as "Singer of the Year" for the song "Never let you go".


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It's Release Candidate Time for VMware Server 2.0
VMware Server 2.0, the virtualization provider's free virtualization platform, has hit the Release Candidate 1 mark and is available for download.
|VMware's entry-level virtualization package picks up a host of new features and comes one step closer to being production ready.
VMware Server 2.0 RC 1, as the release candidate is known, has several new features, including the ability to back up Windows virtual machines (VMs) through inclusion of Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
VSS provides the backup infrastructure for the Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. It also lets users create copies of data known as shadow copies, which are like snapshots at a particular point in time.
Another new feature is the Virtual Machine Communication Interface, which supports communications between VMs on the same host operating system, or between a VM and the host.
VMware Server RC 1 also has provisions for backup and storage, letting users connect SCSI devices such as tape backups to VMs and letting them add new SCSI hard disks and controllers to a VM while it's running.
Recent Articles» Virtually Speaking: All Eyes on Hyper-V
» Hyper-V Struts Its Stuff
» Virtually Speaking: Quest Pursues the VDI Love
Support for Firefox 3 as the management interface also has been added.
Finally, VMware Server RC 1 lets users access devices, such as CD-ROMs, that are not physically connected to the host, through VMware Remote Console.
Server 2.0 is scheduled for release to manufacturing this quarter.
VMware Server 2.0 differs from previous versions by having a management console that's entirely Web-based -- once it is installed on a host system, all administration is done through a browser.
This initially angered users familiar with the native VMware Server Console used in the previous versions, but VMware improved the interface with Beta 2, released in March.
Several beta testers also noted that the only reliable browser to use as VMware Server 2.0's administrative client is Firefox 3 as there have been glitches when Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 7 are used.
This article was originally published on InternetNews.com.


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Kansas Birding Festival at Wakefield April 27-29
OutdoorHub 04.11.12
On April 25-27, the Kansas Birding Festival will be held near Wakefield. The three-day event will feature seminars on birds and birdwatching, guided field trips, food, and much more. This area is rich in birding opportunities during the latter part of April. Native birds inhabit the area year round, and this is the prime season for migrating birds. Combine this with Milford Reservoir and Wetlands and the native prairie, and you have one of the best locations in America for watching birds.
On Friday, April 27, the event will begin at the Wakefield Methodist Church Community Center with registration and guided field trips to the Milford Wetlands, the Republican River Bottoms, and the Kansas Landscape Arboretum.
The event on Saturday will begin with breakfast from 4 a.m. to 5:45 a.m., followed by guided field trips, including a prairie chicken lek at Fort Riley, the Konza Prairie, the Landscape Arboretum, the Milford Wetlands, and the Republican River Bottoms.
After an 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. lunch break, events will include optional free time to bird watch and seminars, including "Greater Prairie Chickens in Kansas," by Dr. Brett Sandercock; "Shorebird Identification," by Suzanne Fellows; and "Grassland Birds," by Eugene Young. At 7 p.m., a banquet will be held with a keynote address by wildlife photographer Judd Patterson.
On Sunday, April 29, breakfast will again be served from 4 a.m.-5:45 a.m. This will be followed by the field trip options.
Fees and pre-registration are required. For more information, phone Chuck Otte at 785-238-4161 or 785-238-8800 or Vanessa Avara at 785-238-3108, email [email protected], or go online to www.kansasbirdingfestival.org.


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How best to sell a used car?
{Wheels.23.1}: McKenzie K. Musick {mckenzie} Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:12:12 CDT (48 lines)
I don't intend to use this post as an ad to attempt to sell a car but to discuss the concept in general. Most of us have at one time or another sold a use car. Some have traded in their car when they purchase another. I believe we can assume that trading in a car is the easiest way to deal with the problem of disposing our current car if we want to buy another. I think it is also the costliest in terms of value received. Hypothetically car dealers always sell near high "blue book" and never give credit for more than low "blue book" for your used car. So if you intend to get rid of a car you own in order to buy another car would you sell it yourself? If so what is the best method to determine your cars worth? There are a number of price guides like NADA, and Kelly Blue Book. These both do a good job of helping you estimate the value of a car ( both used and new ). Once you decide how much you wish to get for your car what do you do? The options include putting a For Sale sign in the window. And either driving it around till you sell it or parking it in a conspicuous place. I believe based on my experience of selling cars and motorcycles that this is worthwhile but would probalby be the slowest way to sell your car. How about an ad in the newspaper? Which paper? The hip weekly with a low circulation or the big statewide paper? I would do neither now that Craigslist is available. Craigslist would be my first choice of places to advertise anything for sale because it costs nothing. If you have a car of special interest like a hybrid ( don't sell it!) I would find the online group of hybrid enthusiasts to list the car for sale even if it costs a little. ( Craigslist is free.) There are of course Corvette websites, VW Diesel sites and etc. What about ebay? Not for me but if you are in a hurry to sell you might use ebay but then you might get as much from a dealer if you trade-in.( The art of negotiation with a dealer would suggest that you secure a best price from the dealer before you introduce your trade in as part of the purchase. Get their best price and ask for what you think your car to be worth.) It is really two seperate negotiations. You have the upper hand because you have the option to walk away. Now I have a conundrum which is the real reason I started this post. I was recently given a 1982 Mercedes 380 4 door sedan. I personally do not believe this car should be allowed on the road. The huge gas engine is a major pollution factory. This car is in very good condition and I am considering parting it out. I have never parted out a car and don't know where to begin. Does anyone have advice?
{Wheels.23.2}: Jil {rabbit} Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:34:28 CDT (9 lines)
I won't sell a used car privately if I can trade it in. Having sold cars privately, I've come to the conclusion that the loss I take from the dealer more than makes up for the aggravation of dealing with the public. As far as parting the car out goes, it depends on your circumstances. You're going to need a place to store the car and eventually you'll have to dispose of what's left. I've always just sold the car whole to someone who wants parts from it.
{Wheels.23.3}: McKenzie K. Musick {mckenzie} Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:55:14 CDT (3 lines)
Thanks Jill, great advice to sell the car whole as a parts car. Mac from Durango CO
{Wheels.23.4}: Jil {rabbit} Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:34:54 CDT (9 lines)
The problem with parting out a car is that you never know what people need. If you have the room and the ability to do so, you can take it down to its core items, store them, and then advertise them for sale. But if you don't have the room, you're going to be left with a hulk that becomes increasingly more difficult to move around as parts come off of it, and when it's finally time to go to the scrapyard you could have a rough time of it. Spoken from experience ...
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I loved doing Calwhine but couldn't figure out how to monetize it, even as the opportunities to freelance kept popping up. So I made the call to go for the money, even though Calwhine was great fun.
I may revive it — if I can figure out how to make money on it!
Thanks to the many emailers who inquired about what was up. I should have posted an explanation much earlier.


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The Cherokee County Animal Shelter, Canton, Georgia, had a very successful adoption event this past Saturday, December 6th. All dogs were adopted! Santa and all his helpers were there! There was a big turnout for breakfast with and photos with Santa. The staff and volunteers worked tirelessly. I am the dog pictured with Santa on the shelter's announcement. Such an honor to be chosen. I know first-hand what a great shelter this is-I found my furever home there! Merry Christmas to all the rescued and adopted dogs and cats!
Tuck the Law Dog


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Despite robust growth rates, pricing pressure and cheap imports are key challenges in the domestic ICT market, especially for smaller IT distributors.
- The IT and IT Enabled Services (ITES) industries have been one of the key driving forces fuelling India's economic growth, contributing about 8% to India's GDP in 2017. The IT share in the country's total service exports amounts to more than 45%.
- In 2018 the ICT sector is expected to grow 9.1%. In an international comparison of ICT markets, India continues to lead in terms of growth rates. Key growth drivers are improving economic indicators, growing disposable income, penetration into rural markets, tier 2 and tier 3 cities, online and digital marketing, the e-commerce boom and government investments in the industry.
- However, despite the robust growth rates, the industry continues to be characterised by stiff competition and cheap imports causing pricing pressures, especially for smaller IT resellers and distributors who are working on very low margins.
- On average, payments in the Indian ICT sector take around 90-120 days. The implementation of a nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017 first created some ambiguity in the tax structure, leading to delays in sales and invoicing. However, despite administrative challenges which caused temporary cash flow issues, We expect no substantial increase in payment delays and insolvencies in 2018.
- Our underwriting stance is generally open for IT production and services, as this subsector comprises many large corporates (mostly listed) with sound financials and business prospects remain favourable. (India is a prominent outsourcing destination, accounting for about 55%market share in the global services sourcing business.)
- For the telecommunication segment our underwriting stance is neutral. While mobile-phone penetration and internet usage are increasing, competition is fierce and prices are under pressure with little or no product differentiation.
- We are also neutral with the ICT distribution and retail segment, as this sector comprises many small businesses (mostly proprietorship/partnership companies) and is characterised by fierce competition and price pressure. Many players hold only a moderate financial risk profile, i.e. stretched liquidity and thin margins with limited or no value addition.


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these are cookies, really
Can you believe these?! Amazing. I don't think I could eat something so adorable, or maybe that only adds to their appeal.
Found via my friend Kerry
Other Stories
14 comments:
Seriously! I honestly think I'd be incapable of taking a bite of something so wondrous. I'd nibble with my eyes closed.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Ugh, my spelling.... Anyway. Love them. I would totally eat them and would appreciate their beauty with every bite. :)ReplyDelete
Wow, very cute and yummy, : ) , have a nice day!.ReplyDelete
AMAZING. Those look so adorable... and delicious!ReplyDelete
These are the greatest cookies ever - they are so beautiful I would not be able to eat them! My diet would love them!ReplyDelete
Ooooo, they are super cool, I also really love these http://shaunayounge.blogspot.com/2011/05/chalkboard-cookie-tutorial.htmlReplyDelete
Hmmn... I'm spending tomorrow a bakin'!
Wow. So cute!ReplyDelete
you re killing me with these!ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh! My favorite are the camera cookies! So cute!ReplyDelete
I LOVE these.... so realistic. So fun for a kids birthday party!ReplyDelete
wow! I love these! they look like toys, the colours are so bright!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 05, 2011
so awesome!ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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Welcome to the SXOC Bulletin Board. Please take note of the following.
SXOC.COM is a free site and is run by enthusiasts who are not paid to do so. Please respect the fact that the admin and moderators have a job to do.
Please read and take note of the following rules:
1. Images and Content - By posting images on the forum you give the club the license to use these images to promote the club and for club merchandise materials, unless the images are marked with copyright.
Please do not post images or content that is not suitable for this site. There is no age restriction on this site, so please dont post material in the public areas which wouldn't be suitable for a pre 9pm TV audience, discusses activities of a illegal or sensitive nature. This includes:
- Items of a graphical sexual or violent nature.
- Street racing, drifting on the public road or illegal cruises.
- The security aspects of vehicles including information about circumventing the alarm system and/or immobilisers,
- Taking of illegal substances,
- Theft of copywritten material,
- Which car is faster threads (or versus threads)
Any threads or posts of this nature will be removed without explanation.
2. Swearing - Although there are swear filters, please do not excessively use derivatives or disguised swear words. The filters are there to filter this stuff out and are not an invitation to try and get around them.
3. Advertising Trade and the Sale of Multiple Items - Please do not advertise a company or service in your signature or posts unless you are an Authorised SXOC Trader or it has been approved by SXOC moderators/Admin. Only Authorised SXOC Traders can post in the Traders forum. If you wish to become an Authorised Trader, please read The Trade Rules and contact the SXOC Trade Rep. This includes if you have multiple items for sale or wish to develop/manufacture an item to sell on the forums. Please also contact The Trade Rep if you wish to organize a Group Buy. The For Sale/Wanted Forums are not for chit-chat, please do not make comment on items for sale if you have no intention to buy.
4. Bullying - Most of us here are grown up enough to get on nicely with each other, but some like to make life difficult for others. This could be in the shape of prejudice or targeting a specific user or social group. SXOC.COM will not tolerate this.
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7. Signatures - People are here to see content not your signature. For this reason, please keep signature pictures to less than 30K file size and a physical size of 500x150. Text should be no more than 4 lines unless otherwise authorised. Do not use a font size larger than size 3. Text may not contain advertising unless approved by the admin staff.
8. Do Not Bump Old Posts - It is not acceptable to "bump" old posts in order to bring them to the top of the forum. This confuses users and brings up old views of people which they would prefer to be left in the past or facts that just are not relevant anymore. If there is a genuine reason for bringing an old thread to the top then this is OK. Continued bumping of old posts will result in a you being subject to the forum disciplinary process. This includes continuous bumping of for sale and wanted threads, you do not need to bump a thread every hour or so, once a day is more than sufficient.
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You must not take any actions likely to bring the SXOC into disrepute. This rule includes, but is not limited to, your online conduct and your conduct at SXOC meets and events where you are representing, or likely to be viewed as representing the SXOC.
You are expected to drive in a respectable manner at meets and events and not act in a way likely to endanger life and property, or cause a public nuisance. At events you are expected to follow the rules of the venue.
Posts on other online forums etc where you may be viewed as a representative of the SXOC should not be inflammatory or otherwise likely to damage the reputation of the SXOC. Attempts to provoke confrontation with other car clubs, online or otherwise, will not be tolerated.
The SXOC committee and senior moderators will investigate any complaints of this nature and reserve the right to suspend or terminate your SXOC membership and/or access to this forum or take any other action felt to be appropriate if you are found to be in breach of this rule.
These rules are subject to change without warning.


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Look no further than Indiana Floral/Flower Boutique in Indiana, PA for birthday flowers and happy birthday gifts! Liven up any birthday party with a festive bouquet of birthday flowers or surprise them with a cheerful "Happy Birthday" bouquet! Or give them a long-lasting plant or romantic roses. Everyone loves flowers for birthdays!
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Update July 27, 2011: The ZS7 is still a fantastic compact zoom camera, but the going rate is far too expensive. The lowest street price we've seen recently is $400 (up from an average of $225 in its heyday), so it's no longer a good value for buyers. All the great things we said about the ZS7 still ring true, but we have to downgrade it, based on its inflated price tag.
Panasonic literally invented the travel zoom category. Practice makes perfect, and their ZS series (TZ series overseas) cameras have consistently been the best pocket-sized, big-zoom, sharp-shooting cameras year after year. Anytime they release a new model, it's bound to get consumer attention.
This year, the electronics giant gave the world the ZS7 (TZ10 in some territories), an impressive specimen of a camera: 12 megapixels, 12x optical zoom, 25 mm at the wide angle, 720p AVCHD Lite video, manual control, a host of imaging features, and integrated GPS. It replaces last year's popular ZS3, which rose to the top of the travel-zoom pack on the shoulders of casual-shooting tourists and enthusiasts who wanted a powerful compact to complement their dSLR setup.
Nine out of the ten major manufacturers have thrown their hat into the travel-zoom ring this year, so the ZS7 has some stiff competition. But you can't mess with an original, and Panasonic's offering comes out close to the top of the heap once again.
As a travel zoom camera should be, a compact body belies the huge zoom within. As long as you're not wearing skinny jeans, the ZS7 could fit in your pants-pocket, though would be much more comfortable in a jacket pocket or purse. It has a nice confidence-inspiring heft to it despite the mostly plastic construction, and the lens actually doesn't extend all that far at the telephoto end.
Nothing stands out about the controls, which is fine -- the less noticeable they are, the better. If you've used a digital camera in the past five years, the scheme should look familiar. On the back, the three-inch, 460,000-dot LCD is bright, crisp and visible anywhere but direct sunlight (a downfall of all LCDs). The buttons back there are small metal dots -- they get the job done, although they could be slightly larger. There's a slide in the top-right corner to switch between capture and playback modes as well as a dedicated video capture button.
Up top, a mode dial allows for easy access to iAuto, the manual modes, a scene mode menu, two custom preset scene settings, video, and notepad mode. The metal shutter button has a nice resistance, as does the zoom tilter around its base. The battery and memory-card compartment door feels sturdy, and the slot for the USB and mini-HDMI/A/V output is easy to access. Everything's just dandy.
Interface and User Experience
The ZS7's menus are pretty straightforward as well. There's a "quick menu" for making common parameter changes like ISO, white balance, image size and the like, without leaving the LCD viewfinder. In manual modes, a dedicated exposure button allows for shutter and aperture adjustments. There's a full menu for the more in-depth changes too.
I'm pretty familiar with Panasonic menus at this point, so I guess it might seem easier to me than it would for first-timers, but the interface should be easy to figure out with a day or two of practice. Novice photographers might not know what most of the settings do (intelligent exposure, intelligent ISO and the like), and the display can look overly busy if those settings are activated, but there's always the option to just ignore all of it. I'll put it this way: I rarely had to fumble for settings, and I never got frustrated looking for something in the menu. If I couldn't find it on the first try, I found it on the second.
Operation should be fast enough for most users, and is on par, if not slightly ahead of other cameras in this class. The ZS7 starts up quickly, locks focus quickly and reliably, and has a barely-noticeable shutter lag. The zoom extends and retracts smoothly in still image mode. It's sluggish while shooting video, but hey, it zooms during video and the motor noise is inaudible.
My chief complaints are about the battery and the GPS. The battery drained much faster than what I'm used to, I think because of the GPS. It's constantly checking location while the camera is on, and even checks in every few minutes while the camera is off. With that said, I'm not sure how well the GPS worked; I loaded all the geotagged pictures on Picasa and I think they were mapped accurately but I'm not sure the location displayed on the camera while I was shooting was correct. It named landmarks that were a significant distance away from my actual location. I think it's fine, but manufacturers need to find a better way to integrate the GPS into the cameras (see: Samsung HZ35W review).
Image and Video Quality
The ZS7's predecessor, the ZS3, was lauded for it's excellent image quality. I can't personally say how the two compare because I never seriously tested the ZS3, but I can say, as somebody who has tested a number of this year's travel zoom cameras, that it takes better photos than most.
Like most cameras in this price range, the general, everyday shots from auto mode will make most users happy almost all of the time. Panasonic's iAuto mode has a similar "hit" rate as Canon's Smart Auto. Shots in dim lighting are above average for the class, and the noise is bearable up to ISO 800 and usable at ISO 1600 (there's also a low-res ISO 3200 setting, for what it's worth). The default noise reduction (it is adjustable) doesn't smudge away too many details and, even at full telephoto, the images are pretty crisp. The proof is in the pudding, so take a look at the shots on this page.
ISO 100 (left), 800 (center), and 3200 (right)
Video quality is above average shooting in 720p HD (AVCHD Lite or Motion JPEG) or standard definition. The stereo microphone did a decent job picking up my dulcet tones in the video you see on this page, though it also picked up plenty of wind (I was on a windy bridge).
A note for Mac users: AVCHD Lite does not play nice with Macs. The video you see here is completely unedited because I shot in AVCHD Lite and there's no easy way to edit that format on Apple products. Shoot in motion JPEG.
How It Stacks Up To The Competition
The travel zoom field is crowded this year. In addition to the ZS7, I've been able to test the Canon SX210 IS and the Samsung HZ35W personally, and our contributors have tested the Casio FH100 and Nikon S8000.
Of the three that I've tried, the ZS7 is my clear favorite. I had a number of issues with the HZ35W, mainly that the GPS barely worked and I wasn't happy with the image quality. It certainly is not worth the $350 price tag. Perhaps on a related note, Samsung is discontinuing the HZ35W in August.
25mm wide angle (left) vs 300mm telephoto (right)
As for the SX210, it's a closer call. The ZS7 is not as pretty as the SX210, which has a very classy, streamlined physique for a reasonably powerful camera. But in terms of the usability the ZS7 wins by a long shot. The SX210's pop-up flash is endlessly irritating, as is the drumhead-tight mode dial and unlabelled scroll wheel. The ZS7 doesn't bother with any of that fancy stuff, and comes out ahead as a result. The image quality is a touch better as well: sharper around the edges and a bit less noisy.
Our reviewers panned the Nikon S8000 and praised the Casio FH100, which has garnered strong reviews from other sites as well. I'd put the Casio and Panasonic at the top of the heap, with a bit of an edge toward the Panny.
Then there's the issue of the ZS7 versus the ZS5, one notch down the product lineup. The ZS5 lacks GPS, the LCD is smaller and lower-resolution, and shoots lower-quality video. They use the same imaging system, so still photos from both cameras are identical. Most of this ZS7 review applies to the ZS5, so if you can live without the extra features in the ZS7 and want to save a few dollars, the ZS5 is worthy of your purchase as well.
Panasonic did the travel zoom first and they still do it best. The ZS7 shoots great images and video. Operation is foolproof if you want it to be, though there's plenty of room for manual experimentation. It's also small enough to bring anywhere. Despite a few flaws, I can confidently recommend this camera to a wide variety of photographers, from casual shooters to enthusiasts to travelers (the GPS is a nice touch for that last group), and even advanced shooters who need a backup to their dSLR. Anyone who wants a versatile yet high-quality camera should take a close look at the ZS7.


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Time: February 11, 2020 from 7:30am to 9:15am
Location: The Aviator Hotel GU14 6EL
Street: 55 Farnborough Road
City/Town: Farnborough GU14 6EL
Website or Map: http://omnilocalbusinessnetwo…
Phone: 07898 870 870
Event Type: breakfast, farnborough, farnham, b2b, omni
Organized By: Jenny Thornton and Elaine Bowen
Latest Activity: Feb 27
Omni Local Business Networking Farnham & Farnborough Group at The Aviator Hotel
If you own your own business or work in an environment where you need to find long term new clients or customers then you have found an easy way to do this!
On top of this you can come to one of our FREE Seminars after the breakfast meeting!
Come and meet the Omni Farnborough Team: Jenny Thornton and Elaine Bowen. We get booked up in advance, so please reserve your place early!!!
07:30 - Open Networking & Registration
Best to get there early!
08:00 - Breakfast is served & Opening of the meeting from the Group Director
08:20 - Start 1 Minute Round
08:40 - 1-2-1 Meeting Set Up
Pick someone you might need to help your business or who can help yours!
08:45 - Time for Pitch Platform & Question Time -If you want to do this, you must be a member
09.00 - Start 1-2-1 Meeting
Please remember this a chance to get to know someone! Don't worry if you have not spoken to everyone. You'll get a chance later.
09:15 - Members & Networking Events
Please let us know if you have something coming up. We will tell everyone.
09:20 - Time for TT&Ts! Tips, Testimonials and Thank You Time. Please feel free to tell everyone about someone who has given you business or someone you have worked with!
09:30 - Meeting Close
For more info - Please visit our website here...
COST: £13 meeting fee including breakfast (cash on the door, pre-booking essential please!)
BOOKING: Please CLICK HERE to register to attend or email email@example.com to reserve your place - or call John on 07898 870 870
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i have heard about the international online programming competition conducted by google every year.I want to paticipate in that event in the c/c++ module[there are many optons like java/c++.net, /python] can anyone answer my question about what sort of programming problems[application or system ] are asked there.I surfed the internet but of no help.
If anybody in this c forum has ever participated in this competition, plz reply me about it's credentials!!
waitin for a reply!!
Nishant Tiwari


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Russian Orthodox Church can give ethical evaluation to everything, including economics
Orthodox Christians will continue to call things moral and immoral, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations, said at the Russian-Italian conference entitled "Economy Needs Ethical Regulators" held in Moscow.
"Everything that concerns people, everything that affects their life and daily bread, the wellbeing of their families, and the future of their society, is naturally an area of concern for believers, the Church," he said.
The priest said he and "the entire Christian tradition" disagree with the people who say that "it is not the responsibility of the Church and believers to speak about economics and that economics is an area restricted to economists and those who take an active part in economic processes on the level of the elite."
He recalled that Pravoye Delo's new leader Mikhail Prokhorov "said that 'the responsibility of the Church is religious or spiritual life and the worldly things should be left to us' - that's about what he said."
"It's difficult to agree with that because if a businessman has decided to become a politician and is trying to decide for the entire society what is good and what is bad for it, believers - the clergy, monks, and laymen, including those who take part in economic processes - can offer society what they see fit, especially in the sphere of morals, including economic morals," he said.
Source: Interfax


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DRT closes the gaps in the variety of different size clutch gear cogs currently available in the market. They have made further transmission ratios possible with the usual precision manufacturing quality. Not all standard clutch gear cogs can be used with all primary driven cogs. Several combinations are possible but were not originally conceived for this purpose. DRT are now producing clutch gear cogs specifically intended to enable the use with all primary driven gear cogs. The fixing rivets are made using a more elastic metal and the gear cogs themselves are produced using 'state of the art' metal alloys. A smoother running, stronger engine is the result. This also raises the overall durability of your motor and more performance reaches the rear wheel.
A potentially interesting combination is possible with the 23 teeth gear cog for the 125-150cc motors 108mm outer diameter clutch basket. This offers the simplest method of achieving the tallest gearing for the smaller PX motors.
The POLINI primary driven gears with the 64 straight-cut teeth can be used with both sizes of clutch in combination with the DRT clutch gear cog with 22 teeth.
The clutch gear cogs with 20,21,22 and 23 teeth are intended for a 200cc motors clutch, with a 115mm outer diameter clutch basket, being used in a 125-150cc motor. They can be combined with the standard primary driven gear cogs, with either 67 or 68 teeth, or with the DRT item that has 65 teeth.
DRT has also put a clutch gear cog with 22 teeth on the market to fit the 200cc motor in combination with the standard primary driven gear cog with 65 teeth that has even more minimal mechanical tolerances.
Conclusion: The high production quality of this item ensures low tolerances and a tight fit between the cogs, making them ideal for both touring orientated motors and high performance projects.
SIP-TIP: Do not forget to order a new castle nut, safety washer, thrust plate and a pushrod. The different sizes primary driven gear cogs (65, 67 and 68 teeth) and the DRT item with 65 teeth offer further gear ratio possibilities.
OEM Numbers (for the purpose of comparison)
ip VelPX 125 z23.187/Ø97 (z68...) - 17444 (DRT), 25270817 (PINASCO)


text: Roll up on task level We are using Tasks and Sub-Tasks to structure projects. We are only allowing entering time on the lowest task level. Therefore we need nu... Olaf, 6 years ago Last reply: Ann McWhirter, 2 years ago 19 19 me toos 28 28 replies Idea Under Consideration